Valve.



E. E. LEFER.

VALVE.

APPLICATION IILBD JULY 10, 1911.

Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

I nvantor. @i

UNITED sTATEs rnTENT oEErcE.

EUGENE EMILE LEFER, OF SG1-DENIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO THE SOCIT ANONYME DES ETABLISSEMENTS DELAUNAY-BELLEVILLE, OF ST.-DENIS, FRANCE, A CORPO- RATION 0F FRANCE.

VALVE.

T0 all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that "I, EUGENE EMILE LEVER, citizen of the French Republic, residing at St.-.Denis, Department of the Seine, in France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in valve mechanism, and particularly to that type which is used in connection with expansion enginesl that are subjected to varying loads. In such cases, it is desirable to admit more or less of the elastic fluid to the cylinder, in proportion to the amount of work which is imposed upon the engine.

The object. of the 1nven'tion is to provide such a mechanism which can be controlled to vary the admission of the expansion fluid inv such a manner that the greatest amount of such fluid will be admitted when the load is the maximum, and the least amount of the fluid will be admitted when the load is the minimum. To this end, a mechanism is provided having suitable slide valves which direct-ly control the admission to, and exhaust from, the cylinder. Coperating with these slide valves are auxiliary valves which operate in timed relation to the said slide valves to open and close ports provided therein. Means are provided by which the auxiliary valves can be timed and regulated in accordance with the load, to open and close said ports at the proper time, thereby controlling the admission of the fluid into the expansion chamber'.

The accompanying drawings are used to illustrate the invention, but it will be understood that various modifications can take place, without depart-ing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

In the drawings7 Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a slide valve mechanism embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line y-y of Fig. 1. Fie. 4: is a diagrammatic represent-ation showing the relative positions of the piston, the slide valve eccentric, the auxiliary valve eccentric, and the displacement of the auxiliary valve eccentric due to adjustment.

Throughout these views, like reference characters refer to corresponding parts.

The eccentric A operates the valve stem l with a fixed stroke. Two slide valves 2 and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 10, 1911.

Patented J an. 28, 191i Serial No. 637,751.

vided with suitable ports 2 and 3, coperating with the cylinder ports Q3 and 25. Pref'- erably sleeves 2T and 28 are interposed between the slide valves 2 and 3 and the cylinder wall, connecting passages 23 and Q1 being provided in said sleeves to register with the cylinder' ports. The construction of the slide valves may vary, but preferably they are of the detachable type. Counterblocks fl and 5 are held against the valves bodies Q and 3, respectively, in such a way as to retain the packings S, 9, 12 and 13 and render them removable when said counter blocks are themselves removed. Removable rings t3 and 7 are provided to further facilitate the retaining of the packings. Af'second eccentric of the adjustable type operates an auxiliary valve stem 14, which carries at a suitable pointthe yoke 15 secured rigidly thereto. The yoke is provided with a collar 15 which engages the annular sliding member 1G.

Loosely mounted on the valve stem 1 are the auxiliary valves 1T and 18, normally held at a maximum distance from the member 1G by the springs lt) and Q0 which react against the collar '15 of the yoke l5. The annular sliding member 1G engages shoulders 1T and 1S on the valves 17 and 1S respectively, to unseat the same at the proper time. 1n order to facilitate the unseatjng of the auxiliary valves 17 and 18, the passages Q1V and 22 are provided, which conduct a quantity of live steam to the under side of said auxiliary valves 17 and 18, substantially at the time said valves are unseated, so that the pressure above and below the said auxiliary valves is balanced. This condition takes place when the passages 2 and 3a register with the auxiliary passages 21 and Q2, thereby allowing the steam to iiow to the under side of the auxiliary valves.

The operation of such a device is as follows: The valve stem 1 and consequently the slide valves 9. and 3 have a fixed stroke, and would normally admit the expansive tluid into the cylinder in definite amounts. Assuming the engine to be operating under :full load and a large quantity of expansive fluid was desired in the cylinder to insure a powerful stroke. The eccentric which operates auxiliary valve stem l-t is then adjusted either by hand or an automatic governor until it will assume, at a certain point 3 are disposed on said stem 1, which are prol in the cycle oit' operation, the position B,

as shown in F ig. 4, when the other working parts have assumed the respective relat-ive positions, as shown in the same figure. lVlien the parts have this operat-ive relation, the stem 14 will operate in such timed relation to stem 1 that when the cylinder ports 25 are open, the slide valve ports 2a and 3v will also be open, due to the fact that the auxiliary valves 17 and 18 are caused to be fully unseated at this stage. Following the cycle of operation under these conditions, it will be seen from Figs. 1 and 4, that the valve stem 1 has almost completed its downward stroke. It has yet to open the ports 25, however. The valve stem 14 has completed its downward stroke and is nearly at the limit of its 'upward stroke, as can be seen by the position of B in Fig. 4. As the auxiliary valve 18 is now moving in an opposite directionto that of valve 8, the ports 8a will be fully open during the entire period that port 25 is open. Obviously, then the expansive fluid is offered an unobstructed and clear path to the expansion chamber and a maximum amount is thereby admitted. It will be noted, however, that as valve stem 1 and consequently valve 2 have not completed their downward stroke, auxiliary valve 17 will be compelled to complete the stroke with them. To allow for this downward movement of auxiliary valve 17 when the similar valve 18 is still moving upward, the sleeves of each auxiliary valve have a sliding engagement in the annular member 16. Now, when the stem 1 has started its upward stroke, stem 14 has started its downward stroke. The auxiliary valve will therefore be seated on valve 8 and the ports 3a will be closed. Although t-he stem 14 is making a downward stroke, the auxiliary valvea 18 will be carried upward by the movement of valve 3, and the Jsleeve of said auxiliary valve will be telescoped into the annular member 16. It will be noted that the upper auxiliary valve 17 and slide valve 2, as represented in Fig. 1, are positioned to represent this stage of the cycle of operation. Still referring` to the lower valves 8 and 18, it will be seen that when the valve stem 1 starts its downward stroke, valve stem 14 will start its upward stroke, but due to the telescopic action which resulted when the Vparts were moving in the other direction respectively, the valve 18 will not be unseated from valve 8 until shoulders 18a engage shoulders 16L of the member 16. 'Ihe spring 20 tends to keep the valve thus seated until the said shoulders contact and then the valve 18 will be unseated and carried in the opposite direc tion by annular member 16. `When fluid is about to be admitted to the cylinder through lower port 25, upper port 25 is acting as an exhaust outlet and the upper slide valve 2 is serving as an exhaust valve. Now assume that the eccentric which operates rod 14 be so adjusted that it assumes the po sition B with respect to the other parts. Then from Fig. 4 it will be seen that when A or the eccentric which operates rod 1.has completed its stroke and fully opened port 25, the eccentric B which operates rod 14 is still moving downward. Hence, as member 16 is moving downward while the port 25 is opened, the valve 18 will remain seated upon valve 3 and thereby close the ports 3a duri'ng the entire period that ports 25 are open. Tithout further explanation of the operation under this adjustment, it will be obvious that the unseating of the valves 18 will take place when the rod 1 has started its downward stroke and the rod 14 has not quite completed its upward stroke. At such a point the shoulders 18il and 16a will engage to unseat the valve 18. Under these conditions, the opening of the ports 3a by such unseating of the valve will do no good, so for this adjustment of the eccentric the admission will be the minimum, since the ports 8a will be fully closed when inlet ports 25 are open. It is evident then that any intermediate adjustment of the eccentric loetween the points B and B will affect the timed cooperation of the valves. The auxiliary valves can thereby be made to allow any desired amount of fluid to pass through the slide valve and inlet port into the cylinder, when said port is fully opened by the slide valve.

I claim 1. In a valve mechanism for expansion engines, a main valve, an auxiliary valve coperating with said main valve, means to impart a definite throw to the main valve, and means to actuate said auxiliary valve, said means adapted to permit the auxiliary valve to travel with and remain seated on the main valve during part of each reciprocation of the latter and to retard and rev-erse the movement. of said auxiliary valve to open and close the same during the admission part of the stroke of the main valve.

2. In a valve mechanism for expansion engines, a main valve and an auxiliary valve co'perating with said main valve, reciprocating means to actuate the main valve, means reciprocating in relatively opposite direct-ions to th-e first-named means to actuate the auxiliary valve, and connections between said last-named means and said aux' iliary valve which permit the latter to remain seated on the main valve when said reciprocating means are traveling toward each other and said connections adapted to unseat t-he auxiliary valve when said re ciprocating means are traveling in opposite directions.

3. In a valve mechanism, a main valve and an auxiliary valve abutting said main valve seated thereon, means to move both iso valves in opposite directions Which unseats the auxiliary valve, said means adapted to move said valves toward each other into cont-acting relation to thereby seat the auxiliary valve.

4. In a Valve mechanism, a main valve and an auxiliary valve seated thereon, means to move both valves in opposite directions which unseats the auxiliary valve, said means adapted to move said valves toward each other to seat the auxiliary valve, and means whereby the auxiliary valve can complete the stroke with the main valve after said auxiliary valve has been seated.

5. In a valve mechanism, a main valve to eoperate With a suitable cylinder admission and exhaust port, means to move said main valve in one dlrection to open the port for exhausting purposes, passages in said main valve to coperate with said port, said passages adapted to register with said port When the main valve is moved in the opposite direction by said means, an auxiliary valve cooperating with the main valve to close said passages, and means to unseat said auxiliary valve at substantially the same time that the said port is opened by the passages in the main valve, said lastnamed means adapted to permit the auxiliary valve to remain seated and move with the main valve during that part of the stroke when the said port is closed.

6. The combination with a main valve, of an auxiliary valve seated thereon` means n n n J imparting a definite throw tothe mam valve, and means to actuate said auxiliary valve, said last-named means comprising a reciprocating element, resilient means to hold the auxiliary valve spaced `from said element,

`means to allow the auxiliary valve to move toward said element against the action of said resilient means so that when the main valve and said reciprocating element are moved toward each other, the auxiliary valve is seated and completes the stroke with the main valve and so that during one part of the contrary movements of the main valve and said reciprocating element the auxiliary valve will be unseated `trom the main valve.

7. The combination with a cylinder provided with a suitable port opening, of a main valve provided with a passage to control the flow of fluid through said port, means to actuate said main valve, an auxiliary valve seated on said main valve to close said passages, means to unseat said auxiliary valve at substantially the time of the opening of said ort, said last-named means adapted to permit the auxiliary valve to remain seated during a part of the reciprocation of the main valve and move with said main valve, said last-named means being adjustable to vary the length of the seated period of the auxiliary valve, Whereby said passages in the main valve are opened in timed relation to the opening of the cylinder port to vary the amount or' motive fluid admitted to the cylinder,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EUGNE EMILE LEFER.

Geenen BoUJY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

